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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ie11”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “ie11”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Bold Timeline Lite shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 D Debloat – Remove Unused CSS, Optimize JS 30K+ · 4.8★ (41) wp.org #1 2 PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg 10K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #2 3 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 Pdf Embed 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Anti-spam Reloaded 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #22 15 too low 8 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #24 ↓1 16 too low 9 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #23 ↓1 13 too low 11 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 AForms — Form Builder for Price Calculator & Cost Estimation 3K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Algori PDF Viewer 7K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Urdu Keyboard 200+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 AntiVirus 30K+ · 4.1★ (23) wp.org #17 18 Rexpansive Builder 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Bold Timeline Lite 10K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 AForms Eats 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 OptiFusion – Image Converter & Optimizer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Fleek Reviews for Google Business 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Smooth Preloader — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 TCBD Preloader — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 6 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.